Travel

In the first of four articles looking back over 2014, we recall some of the culture, sports and heritage stories that made the news. Arts Dansaekhwa emerged as flavour of the year. Following the MMCA exhibition in 2013 and Joan Kee’s book, Kukje Gallery had a monochrome retrospective, and dansaekhwa artists were included in MMCA […]

In the second of five articles looking back over 2013, we recall some of the tourism and heritage stories that made the news. And we also take a look at some of the stories about Korean food, given the increasing popularity of Korean cuisine of Korea. Arts and Heritage Sungnyemun, the great Namdaemun gate, reopened […]

My visit to Korea in October 2012 was planned to attend the Jeonju International Fermented Food Expo. Well, when I arrived from Seoul, actually it was more like a busy city market day, with some fermented salted fish stalls and a local food exhibition. I felt slightly let down. But I had not visited this […]

The first of four articles in which we look back at some of the stories which caught our attention during the course of 2012. In this first article we look at cultural promotion, heritage, tourism and related topics. Heritage and Cultural Promotion Korea’s national folk song, Arirang, was listed as world Intangible Cultural Heritage by […]

Whenever I am in Korea, I always visit the markets, especially the fish markets. I love looking at all the fish and seafood — the colours and shapes, the noise — all of it. They are my childhood memories. On the third day of my last trip, I went to Noryangjin fish market (노량진 수산시장), […]

The Guardian gets rewarded for its K-pop coverage with a free trip to Seoul – though they feel obliged to spend most of their time in Gangnam covering the K-pop businsess in the resulting travel article. But there are a couple of interesting quotes which sum up the way many people get into Korean culture: […]

British Airways resumed direct flights to Seoul on 2 December 2012 – a service they stopped back in 1998, in the aftermath of the so-called IMF Crisis. That was then. This is now: “We have seen significant growth in customers wanting to travel to Seoul for both business and pleasure,” said BA’s commercial director in […]

In the second of our articles we look at stories relating to Sports, Tourism, and national branding and marketing. And K-pop and celebrities are never far away when talking of Brand Korea. Sports and Tourism Jeju was provisionally listed as one of the worlds New 7 Wonders, after a multi-month international marketing campaign. Celebrities ranging […]

Here’s a nice little promotion which brings together a celebration of the UK Royal Wedding and the promotion of Jeju Island, that favourite of honeymoon destinations, as a candidate for New 7 Wonders. Plan your ideal honeymoon itinerary, and then get a chance to realise it. There’s lots to see on Jeju-do, but one of […]

Bae Yong-joon’s book about Korea — A Journey in Search of Korea’s Beauty — has been translated into English: a Christmas gift idea? http://bit.ly/gobpWT #. The book sold well in its Japanese and Taiwanese versions, according to the Chosun Ilbo. Keywords: People: Bae Yong-joon

Haeundae Beach, Busan, 1 August 2010. Now that's what I call crowded, and supports the contention that Koreans like to go on holiday in crowds. But why are all the rubber rings yellow? http://bit.ly/c701UB #

Korean men want to go on holiday with Girls’ Generation, according to a KBS survey. Now that’s being greedy. http://bit.ly/a4zZ4O # And while on the subject of holidays: doing the arithmetic, does this mean around 6-7 million Koreans will be heading to the East Coast at the end of July? http://bit.ly/9HYiuk #. (47% of a […]

If ever you're on holiday in Cambodia this looks like the restaurant to visit. A North Korean noodle restaurant known for its beautiful waitresses – including the “North Korean Kim Tae-hee:” http://bit.ly/bHmvzR # …but if you work in South Korea you haven't got long to get there: an average of only 4.1 days for your […]

Remember that nice bookshop featured in the Hugh Grant rom com Notting Hill? Well it’s a real place, and it’s called The Travel Bookshop. You don’t have to guess too hard as to what sort of books it specialises in. Jennifer Barclay, LKL contributor and author of Meeting Mister Kim, will be talking about her […]

The Asia House website was down over the weekend, so I only have sketchy details of this, but on Tuesday 6 October there’s a travel talk which includes material on the DPRK. Doors 6.30pm. An evening of expert insights and travellers’ tales on some of the most exciting destinations in Asia, combining of practical advice […]